Sammy Stewart and Emily McBryde were in the right place at the right time on Saturday for the Lee girls soccer team against Odessa Permian.

Stewart's equalizing goal in the game's 44th minute gave Lee a boost against one of the league's top teams, which forced a shootout. Then in the shootout, McBryde, who arrived at the game with less than 20 minutes remaining after taking a college entrance exam on Saturday, sent a high shot into the net for the game winner in a 2-1 victory.

The victory also came at the right time for Lady Rebels, who after what was possibly their best performance of the season, earned two points with the shootout victory and are a win away from clinching a playoff berth.

"It was really important for us to get into the playoffs," Stewart said. "All of us gave 100 percent, and we did everything we could do for each other. We worked a lot better together, and the communication was really, really good. We took our time to see the open passes and play to people's feet instead of just kicking the ball around."

Lee improves to 10-5-5 overall this season, 3-4-2-0 in District 3-5A play with 13 points, and with San Angelo Central's victory against Abilene Cooper on Saturday, is five points ahead of the Lady Cougars with three games remaining. The two teams will meet on Tuesday in Abilene, and if Lee can win either in regulation or shootout, it will clinch a playoff berth.

Odessa Permian clinched the district's third playoff spot with the one point gained in the shootout, and is now 12-6-1 overall and 6-3-1-0 in 3-5A play.

Even after Permian's Emily Morris scored in the 41st minute just after halftime off a beautiful cross from Dusty Westlund, the Lady Rebels kept putting on the pressure. The Lady Rebels' work paid off when Stewart was in front of the net after an initial Lady Rebel shot rebounded, and Stewart headed it in the net to tie the game.

The score stayed that way through regulation, and Lee even had a chance to take a lead but the Lady Rebels went to their second shootout of the season and Permian its first.

Haley Smith, Kendeal Stark and Rachel Roberts all scored for Lee during the shootout, and Permian's Paige Strahan, Audrey Akins and Carley Fowler scored, and that left the game up to McBryde, who was the fifth shooter.

McBryde used a high shot that went over Permian goalkeeper Jenna Easley's head into the top right side of the net for the game winner.

"It was fantastic," Lee coach Brian Pollard said. "It's the first time all year we've come from a deficit and won a game. We talked about if we got two wins this week we feel like we are in. We played really well today, and this was one of our most complete games."